There are a bunch of free tracks I’ve never driven in iRacing. Every few days I’m going to drive one with zero preparation and then post the fastest lap time here. That’s the delta time. Your mission, should you accept it, is to beat it (and then call me names in the comment section).
Here are the rules.
- Global Mazda MX-5 Cup, baseline setup
- Default Weather (78F, 2 MPH N, 55%, afternoon)
- 30 minutes or 20 laps, whichever comes first
[Legacy ] Texas Motor Speedway – 2009 Road Course Short B
Who knew there were so many tiny road courses on the inside of ovals? Not me. TMS has two short courses, and a configuration where they are combined. In addition, they also have a roval configuration that mixes everything. I decided to start with B, which is slightly longer than A.
Delta = 0:27.062
20 laps goes by pretty damn quick when each lap is under 30 seconds. At first, I thought the track was pretty silly. What use is such a short track? But then as I started to get into a rhythm, I suddenly got what this track is meant for: training. Specifically, mixing trail-braking with heel-toe shifting. Those skills are often learned in isolation, but it’s the combination that’s really difficult and critical as one makes the transition from intermediate to advanced driver. When you’re balancing traction at the limit, you don’t want your shifting to upset your braking. With the MX-5 Cup, every 12-15 seconds you’re working on that skill combo in a right-hand corner. Then there’s also the kinks between the 180s. Those are good for practicing discipline as the optimal line is a bit of a compromise.
Track Rank
In this section I’m ranking the tracks in the order of my preference. I tend to like technical tracks with some elevation, short straights, and corners that are blind, off camber, decreasing radius, and connected.
- [Legacy] Pocono Raceway – 2009 East (1:12.321, #12)
- [Legacy] Charlotte Motor Speedway – 2008 Infield Road Course (47.637, #20)
- [Legacy] Texas Motor Speedway – 2008 Road Course Short B (27.062, #18)
- [Legacy] Phoenix Raceway – 2008 Road Course (1:09.739, #17)
- Tsukuba 1000 Chicane (0:42.149, #15)
you suck at racing 
Its worth noting that Texas World Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway are different tracks – the first (in College Station) is indeed being demolished, and was an amazing place to drive (here’s a fun teaser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEyTW4D8vRg ) – the second is alive and well in Fort Worth and is on the Nascar circuit.
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I’m always confusing the two. Probably because I’ve never been to them.
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